Advice needed re bathrooms

[MAsMum]

Hi

We bought our house 10 years ago and at the time we decided to leave the bathrooms as although not to our taste they were passable.

The time has now come to replace the fittings as they are tired looking plus the wood surrounding the bath is now warped.

I am wanting to buy good quality items off the Internet and get it installed by a local tradesman but was wondering if any of the Internet companies offer a design service ? Also if anyone else has undertaken a similar process have you any advice re pitfalls or does or don't see companies?

Oh - sorry, no help to you whatsoever - but I was just about to start a similar thread, so will wait for some knowledgeable people on here instead of duplicating, if you don't mind?

Don't recommend bathstore. Tradesman tried to tell me but I didn't listen their plugs/taps & sink we have is rubbish. Really sorry I didn't listen & will probably have to replace the sinks, just glad I didn't get everything there!

Yes, certainly . I am very much of a rabbit in the headlights in this department.

24 balloons - thanks it was the first name which popped up on my google search.

I'm in a similar position too! About to move into new house which needs new bathroom from scratch, as we are putting one upstairs. I went to Bathstore and liked the look of it, but have been put off by bad reviews. I also looked at Victoria Plumb, who have very mixed reviews...I have currently got an online basket full of Homebase stuff, and am debating whether to buy that. I'm getting my Grohe shower from Amazon though. I'm planning on buying the bathroom myself, and getting an independent fitter to install. We need some more complicated plumbing though so that may be an issue for some bathroom fitters who aren't actually plumbers. It's all so confusing!

I really recommend Joyou - fab quality at v good prices. Mybuilder website will find you a good bathroom fitter.

I have a sink and a bath, taps, fittings from Bathstore and they are fine. Just be careful what you choose and buy in the sale. If you are just doing a refit with everything in the same place, your builder/plumber will just install everything. If you are going for a complete redesign, you need to be aware of where the water supply is and the drains. Mostly, using squared paper with accurate measurements works! Some brochures have planning pages you can use, even if you don't buy the products. A good plumber is what you need to talk through the practicalities of what you want.

Also, don't buy a bathroom loo and basin from different manufacturers. One manufacturer's white is not the same as another one. Buy the same brand. We looked at all the brochures and then looked for the cheapest supplier on the internet. We have lots of bathrooms/toilets!

Don't buy a toilet that you haven't seen in the flesh and sat on. We have one from Victoria Plumb and it is an odd shape and the under rim bit where you squirt bleach etc is very deep and impossible to properly squirt said bleach into and get even coverage. None of this was obvious from the pics online. I realise this sounds ridiculous but it annoys me every day.

Wouldn't recommend Victoria Plumb really. Their customer service was excellent but the products are at best mediocre.

I have had a bad experience with Bathstore. I was told that a designer was free to see me to help with a bathroom design (I need two new bathrooms for an extension). When I arrived at the store all was fine until the designer asked whether I was going to buy from her that day (it was the last day of the sale) when I said possibly not (as I didn't want to be pressured into a decision) she refused to do a design for me. I was not happy after making the effort to get childcare and going to the store.

My impression is that they are far more focused on sales than customers. I will not be going back.

I looked in the showrooms and DIY stores for taps and shower etc and then found those products on the Internet for cheaper so ordered from there.

In regards to baths, if you are ordering online make sure they are sufficient thickness and some online stuff can be flimsy and especially no good if you are having a shower over bath so need to stand in them. Agree with the poster above who recommended sitting on the toilet before buying. My friend has a square loo with a v small space between the back of the seat and the cistern and it is impossible to get comfy on it for a poo

I've just refurbished my bathrooms and I'm installing a new en-suite in a Victorian house. I last did this ten years ago in the same property. I'm happy to say the sanitary ware in the family bathroom is still up to scratch and hasn't been replaced.
This is what I've learned - think about what you need and use on a daily basis. I've converted a walk in cupboard to an extra shower on the first landing for faster turn around and less queueing, put a urinal (easier to clean : )) in the loo alongside a standard wall hung wc. DH and DSs like it so much they even close the lid on it. I'm just cleared out a tatty old en-suite to which the loo will not return. Instead it'll have a free standing bath and basin and the zen like atmosphere every Mumsnetter craves (see the thread on smelly en-suite loos, if you need convincing). I appreciate that not everyone has the space but be creative!
I've had unfortunate experiences with bath showrooms and now go it alone. On the current jobs I've saved £kkk on labour let alone the fittings themselves. Get a plumber by word of mouth. It may take a little time but is so worth it. S/he will know all the tech stuff and it's not that hard to follow or learn. For a seamless finish use the same wall and floor treatment. Think about space; draw on the floor with chalk to make sure you have sufficient clearance around your sanitary ware before it's fixed in. Think about storage and build it in where necessary. I'd go for visible storage - shower shelves, towel radiator and open shelving as needed. It stays tidier when it's visible, I have no idea why but it does. Good luck!

I've always used local bathroom shops and for Victorian/Edwardian houses I've used the Burlington range which seem good quality. Taps I have used are Perrin & Rowe or Lefroy Brooks. All excellent for a classical look.

I agree with bilbodog that buying from independent bathroom showrooms is best - the level of service and quality of products tends to be superior than the likes of bathstore, Victoria plumb et al.....

If prices at the independents is prohibitive I'd rather search for the same product online for less than buying an inferior product. Both sanitaryware and taps can vary vastly in quality and cheap is cheap for a reason (it's usually crap!), so it'll be a false economy.

We're fortunate in that one of our best friends has a showroom so we usually get good discount, but recently I picked up a V&B basin and v.expensive Gessi tap online - the basin (ex display) was a better price than our friend could do and the tap is no longer available......£800+ down to £230!

By the best you can afford is my motto.......